Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to also congratulate the students of the northern Indigenous counselling program. I've got two students here from Inuvik. I'd like to recognize Louisa Elanik and Melissa Lennie. Thank you. And I see Melissa's sister Jen Lennie's also here to support her as well. Thank you for being here with us today.
I'd also like to congratulate my brother Billy Archie, who was part of this program, who could not be here today. So with that, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I myself want to acknowledge also Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty and also the graduates as well too.
Mental health is such an important issue in the Northwest Territories and being Indigenous graduates as well too, I take really strongly to my heart as well too because there's a different perspective that needs to be understood when we're dealing with our own people here in the Northwest Territories, and there's a different kind of approach. Really appreciate the work of Jean and Roy Erasmus as well too, and the collaboration, working together as well too, and establishing this program. And I hope that it actually continues.
I see in my own riding that, you know, we need school counsellors, we need mental health workers, we have issues with addiction and also not only that, just limited resources in smaller isolated communities. So I congratulate you all.
And I also wanted to just specifically I wanted to acknowledge Louise Nason. I don't think she's here today. But she's in my riding as well too and she's got her family that are located there as well too. So I just wanted to express my appreciation. And also I wanted to acknowledge Melissa Lennie and Louisa Elanik that I've known from Inuvik as well too. Mahsi for your time commitment. Amazing. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Sahtu. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker; I'll try to keep mine a little bit shorter.
I'd like to also say thank you and congratulations to everybody that has graduated. I think that's awesome. And the Grand Chief as well, welcome. But I'd also like to acknowledge my constituent Kate Reid, who works for ENR and is here because one of her projects is being tabled today and she wanted to see it in action. So thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome.
Thank you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Monfwi.
Okay, I would like to do this in Tlicho. [Translation Unavailable].
Mahsi and congratulations, and welcome Jackson Lafferty. Our Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty who is in the gallery, and the students, Tiffany Wedawin and all her classmates. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. As you could tell, we're having a little difficulties with our broadcasting. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to also recognize the Grand Chief, a mentor of mine and former colleague, Jackson Lafferty. But as well, Mary Jane Cazon, one of our interpreters, doing a great job and I'd like to recognize her and thank her for being here today. Thank you.
Thank you. If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber and I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It is always nice to have an audience with us.
Oh sorry, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was waving at you; you didn't see me so.
First of all, I just want to say, recognize in the gallery there to my left here is my beautiful wife Alita Rose Edjericon. Also a good friend, Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty. I also want to recognize him as well, in the back. Mahsi.
Also from the northern Indigenous counselling students; I think most of the names were mentioned. I just wanted to mention Jean Erasmus. I think she's here. Also that's taking part in this program is, but not here, is Bernice Mandeville, Lorena Pierrot, Vanessa Sangris. I just want to recognize them as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Actually, I got this note here. I'll just read it out. Actually I know most of them are recognized, but we have a group from the Northern Indigenous Counselling Initiative here today.
19 Indigenous counselling students began their educational journey in September 2020. 16 of these students graduated from the program and are beginning their practicums. Congratulations.
The Northern Indigenous Counselling Program is cosponsored and run by Rhodes Wellness College, a counselling college with over 25 years of experience in Canada, and by Dene Wellness Warriors.
Dene Wellness Warriors is a professional counselling organization based in Yellowknife that focuses on helping Indigenous people throughout the NWT. It is 100 percent Indigenous owned and operated by Jean and Roy Erasmus.
The owner with us today is Jean Erasmus, here with the students. Cody Erasmus is also here.
Leanne Joss. Melissa Lennie. Louisa Elanik. Louise Lennie. Johnny Ongahak I hope I pronounced that right.
With us, we also have students that are not here with us and one was mentioned by the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Billy Archie from Aklavik. Lena Koe Peterson, also from my riding. Rita Green. Bernice Mandeville. Lorena Pierrot. Vanessa Sangris. Michelle Bourke. Lindsay Auger. Tiffany Wedawin. Lenny Fabian. And Shawn Marshall. Congratulations, everyone, and I wish you all the best in your future. Mahsi.
If we have missed anyone else in the gallery, welcome to the Chamber and I hope that you're enjoying the proceedings. It is always nice to have an audience with us. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As one of the MLAs from the Beaufort Delta that is present here today on our last sitting day and is able to ask questions to the Minister in this House, I will continue my questions to the Minister of Infrastructure as this project is one of the most important infrastructure projects that's happening in our regions.
Can the Minister update this House on the decision her department has with regard to the Inuvik Airport Runway Extension Project and if the time sensitive part of the project will occur this year as this employs a local contractor and this Cabinet has said that it supports economic recovery for our northern contractors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a trilateral meeting that was held yesterday with department and National Defence, the GNWT, as well as representatives from the joint venture that will be doing work on the Inuvik runway extension.
The meeting confirmed several things for us and also highlighted the need for the GNWT and the joint venture to be able to work collaboratively and come up with a path forward. That's where we're at with the project right now, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my question is this timesensitive work that needs to be done this spring, will the Minister provide me with an answer that this work will be issued, like approved, so that we can get the lift done?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the meeting, the meeting confirmed that the Department of Defence expects there to be due diligence applied to the project, and that's important for the bid and scope of the work to match available funding. So we know that it is time sensitive but it is a fiveyear project, Mr. Speaker, so there are four phases, and we are four work packages. So we are currently on schedule with some of the work that's proceeding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that this is a fiveyear project, but this is a timesensitive section that needs to be done so that other layers can be put on later on. What is holding up this section of the project to put the lift down so that we're protecting the permafrost? Why can't we go ahead with this?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's funding that's holding this project down. You've seen in Cabin Radio that, you know, they had an article on the overcosts of this project. The department the GNWT is working closely with Canada to be able to secure that funding. So that's what's slowing the process down. We are continuously having conversations, almost on a daily basis, with Canada and the joint venture to be able to look at ways to proceed with this project on budget on time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister is will she direct her department to complete this vital part of the project? This is going to provide local contractors with work. Right now, the only work that's in the region has been given to Alberta residents. So I'm just wondering if this Minister is going to support our local contractors as the Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to make it clear: This Minister wants the project to go forward. It is a benefit to the community that I represent. I also said that the project needs to be done right, on time and on budget. Rushing major work without appropriate site preparation or plans or due diligence being applied is a recipe for disaster. I also want to make it clear that the GNWT does not have the funding to pay for any cost overruns. So we need to make sure that we do this right first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Okay, thank you. Minister Green, I would like to invite you to the Tlicho region to visit the communities and see firsthand what services and programs are available. Would the Minister commit to doing that? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have spoken previously to the Member and assured her I would be delighted. Thank you.
Thank you. More funding is needed to provide communityled and ontheland addiction recovery program. Can the Minister commit to increasing the amount of funding available through the ontheland healing fund. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we we raised the value of the ontheland healing program in the fiscal year before this one. It's now worth $1.825 million. And so I feel that the money is adequate.
I note, and I have done this before, that the Tlicho are not taking advantage of all the different funds that are available to them for communitybased mental health and addictions support. So we've talked about the northern Indigenous wellness counsellors, who are here today. There was an open call to Indigenous governments to use our money, a milliondollar pot, to hire these counsellors. We do not have any proposals from the Tlicho region that are funded at this point. So there is money. There is a disconnect somewhere here, which I hope the Member will be able to sort out. Thank you.
Thank you. That is a subject for another matter so I will be speaking on that as well.
But can the Minister commit to allocating additional staff hours. This is reference to what she just said. Hours for proposal writing aimed at securing additional departmental funding for community led and ontheland addiction recovery programs? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do not write proposals for Indigenous organizations. However, we are willing to work with them on proposals to ensure that the finishing the application and getting it in is not a barrier to accessing the money. So we're here to help, but the initiative needs to come from the Indigenous government organization. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Monfwi.
Thank you. How does the Department of Health and Social Services currently support people once they have completed an addictions recovery program? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when a resident of the Northwest Territories, who has been to a southernbased addiction treatment centre is ready to be discharged, the centre creates a discharge plan which puts the resident in touch with local resources such as the community counselling program. That would be the primary method.
The resident would then go on to attend counselling appointments; AA, if it's available in the community where the person is. We have a peer support fund which would enable people to create groups like AA in their communities if they thought that would be useful. We have the online app called Wagon, which was developed by the Edgewood facility, which you and I visited in 2017, which is programmatic with study groups and group therapy and individual therapy available. We also have the addictions aftercare program, which I have just referenced, which employs the people who have just finished their training at Rhodes College. So they are to be communitybased resources who will help people who are in addictions and recovery aftercare. The ontheland healing program can be used for addictions aftercare if that's the choice of the Indigenous government.
So I feel that we offer a full range of services to people who are finished their addictions treatment. Could we do more? We could. We could absolutely do more. If you give me another $500 million, I will make sure that there is a treatment centre in every region fully staffed and ready to take everyone who wants to have healing and recovery. Failing that, I encourage them to use the resources that are available now. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure regarding the Inuvik Airport.
When I hear the Minister say that the delay at this point is around funding, I find myself quite confused considering the announcement of $150 million was made in 2019. Can the Minister speak to why the conversation about funding, particularly when we would be breaking this project up into phases and different work packages, would be waiting as of now two years three years later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a number of factors in the cost overruns. I mean, you know, we have looked at this project and negotiated with the contractor, and we need to do a little more work on some of the costing and some of the difference phases. So that's probably all I can say about this project at this time in terms of some of the cost overruns. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification, you can't have an overrun if you haven't started the project yet. So I think calling it an "overrun" is not a legit way to phrase it.
So now I hear that the Minister needs to meet with the contractor, or the JV, to get these answers, yet it's my understanding that their proposal was submitted to the department on February 7th. It's now March 31st. So I'm kind of confused if this is a timesensitive winter work that needs to be done, why the Minister hasn't directed her department to meet with the JV and the contractors sooner than now. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department and the JV have been meeting. They started the work in January. So some of the packages on number 1 has started. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has the department met with the JV since February 7th when their proposal was submitted? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. And actually there's another meeting today. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm now super confused because I have people from the JV telling me that they have not met with the Minister and her department and that, in fact, the Minister is not allowing there to be a trilateral meeting between the DND, the contractor, and the GNWT.
Can the Minister explain why her department thinks it's necessary to keep the contractors away from the Department of National Defence? To me, I talk often about the game of telephone where messages get mixed and scrambled. Perhaps that's the problem that's going on here. Can the Minister speak to when that threeway party will meeting will happen? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've been meeting. There's been discussions happening at different phases since February, since before then when the executive council approved the joint venture contract. So we are still having ongoing discussions and, you know, we will continue to proceed. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
